The Return Express
by ElphieThroppDG28
Summary: Hero Boy's thriteen-year-old daughter, Lucy, doesn't believe in Christmas. A visit from the Polar Express proves to be more than she bargains for when she's transpotred back in time to the night her father took his own fateful trip on the magic train.
1. Random Intro

THE POLAR EXPRESS 2: THE RETURN EXPRESS

Hey, everyone. It's me again, and...OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!! EDMUND I LOVE YOU!!!! WAIT--er...sorry…I'm watching _The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe_ (the Disney version) right now…and Edmund just got stabbed by the White Witch!!!! That part always has me on edge. But then, like, Peter totally beats down on her, and then more cool stuff happens. Oh, and I don't have a huge crush on Skandar Keynes or anything...just think he's hot.

Anyway, y'all are probably tired of my randomness and are curious about this story and what it's about. And I'm the one who can tell you all that!

So, like, this is a Polar Express sequel/moviefic. It takes place when Hero Boy (I read online somewhere the people who made the movie dubbed him "Chris", so that's what we will call him) is grown up with a family of his own. And, of course, one of his kids has to inherit the whole I-don't-believe-in-Christmas-or-Santa-Claus-all-that-is-just-a-bunch-of-lies jean. However, on Christmas Eve night, the Polar Express comes to her house and the conductor takes her back to the night her father rode the same train, and she learns a thing or two about believing in the true magic of Christmas.

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. But, you gotta admit, this is an awesome movie!

So…yeah! Read on and enjoy!


	2. Prologue: I Hate Christmas

_A/N _

_Yeah...the names of my OCs...you know, if you watch Narnia, the names grow on you. So, the main character's name is Lucy, and then her little sister's name is Susan. So...I'm crediting Narnia for that._

_And I tried to put myself in someone's shoes who cannot stand Christmas. If I did a horrible job, I'm sorry. I'm usually not one who hates Christmas and stuff. _

_So...enjoy!_

PROLOGUE

I hate Christmas.

And I don't care who hates me for it.

I think I've always had a disliking for it. Ever since I was a baby, my mother told me I got fussy when the holidays rolled around, and I drooled and even spit up on my presents. As a toddler, I refused to eat Christmas dinner and always made a big fit when we went to Christmas Eve church. As a kid, I tried to boycott Christmas with loose-leaf paper signs.

Now, as a teenager, I know just how to get my point across.

I keep quiet and talk to no one until after Christmas is over.

I don't know, exactly, why I hate Christmas. There are so many possibilities.

There's the fact that it's so commercialized. I mean, everywhere you look, there's Santa and the reindeer, or there's snow and candy canes, or…something. People tend to miss the true meaning of Christmas. And since we're on that subject…all those holiday specials? Ugh! They're just as bad!

Then there's all this…happiness. Everyone--and I mean, EVERYONE--is happy. Even the senile, cranky old people. Even the obnoxious, smart-aleck little kids. Even the bored, could-care-less employees at Target or Wal-Mart are all smiles. And the worst part is that three-quarters of this "happiness" isn't even real. As soon as the holidays are over, everyone goes back to their usual selves, cursing life and wishing they were somewhere else.

But, now that I'm considering things, I think the real reason I hate it so much is because Christmas does some strange things to my family.

My mother hates the holidays almost as much as I do. As usual, she does all the cooking, all the cleaning, all the shopping. And usually all that is doubled, considering all the people she needs to feed and take care of when the relatives come over. However, I know she really enjoys it. She just says she doesn't because she wants us all to feel sorry for her or…something stupid like that.

My little sister, Susan, is just like all those little kids you see on TV: she wants everything on all those brightly colored ads. I know she's only, like, six, and she doesn't know any better about what Christmas really means…but it's just so annoying! She gets that lean, hungry look in her eyes every time we go to the mall or whatever, and begs my parents for every toy or game she sees. It gets on my nerves too easily.

But the worst has to be my dad. Every year, a week before Christmas Eve, he goes up north with a few of his friends and they go ice fishing or something like that. He always tells Susan and I how he met his friends on some stupid magical train that visited him when he was our age and how he finally believed in Santa and blah, blah, blah. Mom gets super worried about him, and Susan, being the age she is, believes every word he says.

The scary part is the bell. My dad has this sterling silver bell he hangs on the Christmas tree every year. I guess it's supposed to make a sound, but I can't hear it. Dad and Susan insist that they can hear it, but Mom and I keep telling them it's broken. But will they believe us? No. They keep saying how great Santa is or whatever.

And I never had it in my heart to believe them.

That is…until Christmas Eve.

That was the night that changed my life.

Forever.


	3. 1: Christmas Shopping

_A/N_

_Hey, everone! Um...just a warning: if you don't like moviefics, then I suggest you stop reading this story, cause a majority of this is going to be, basically, the Polar Express (as seen through the eyes of Lucy). So, yeah. I understand that some people cannot stand moviefics. But, in my opinion, I think seeing her father the way she is currently will really help Lucy believe more in the Christmas Spirit. And I also think it will help them grow closer as father and daughter. _

_Oh, and sorry if this one's super short. _

_I guess that's it! Happy reading!_

_-_

CHAPTER ONE: CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

So, every year, my dad takes Susan and I to the mall to do some shopping while my mom stays home and decorates the house. Now, being me, you've probably guessed that going to the mall means Christmas things EVERYWHERE.

I just about fell over in utter disgust.

Dad and Susan, however…well, let's just say I want the floor to swallow me up when I do Christmas shopping with them. They are so EMBARRASSING. I swear, people stare at us, and then I have to tell them, "I've never met these people in my life."

Anyway, after the mall, we went to the dollar store. Now, I guess it's not so bad. There's some cute stuff there…for little kids. But the best part is the really high shelves in the aisles. I can hide from Dad and Susan and they can never find me (unless I come up behind them and act like I was there the whole time).

This time, however, was different.

As I was pretending to be engrossed with the cleaning supplies (so those weirdo employees wouldn't bug me about anything), I turned around to see my dad standing with his arms folded.

"Lucy," he said, "what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked, trying to advert the attention away from myself. "I'm trying to decide what cleaner will work best on the kitchen floor." I lowered my voice. "You know how tough those grease stains get. I think we should go with the Swiffer Wet Jet Mop." I grabbed a package off the shelf and began to walk away.

"Hold it, young lady."

I stopped in my tracks and reluctantly walked back to him.

Dad shook his head. "Lucy, don't try that with me. I know you're hiding from me and your sister."

I scoffed. "What makes you say that?"

Dad rolled his eyes, taking the Swiffer from me and putting it back. "My daughter, who is one of the biggest slobs in the world, is all of a sudden interested in cleaning products?"

I rolled my eyes back, realizing there was no way out of this. "Fine. You got me."

"I always do." His tone turned serious. "Now, what is this really about?"

"Wow. It's taken you thirteen years to figure it out?" I asked, truly amazed. "I've never liked the holidays. There's just something about them that just makes me go…ugh." I scrunched up my face to prove my point.

"Sweetie," my dad said consolingly. "I know you've never been fond of this time of year. But…sometimes you just have to…believe in the unseen."

I looked at him funny. "Sure…let's just pretend I understand you."

He sighed. "You know what? I'm going to go find Susan and we'll go check out." He started to walk away when he turned back to me.

"Think about what I said," he told me. Then he walked away.

I had no choice but to follow him. I really couldn't believe that after all that, he still had the idea in his head that all this Christmas stuff was real! Something needed to be done.

Fast.


	4. 2: An Unexpected Visit

_A/N_

_Hey, everyone! I honestly am astounded by the people reading this story! Thank you all for supporting me (even if this story is part moviefic!)! I am SOOOOOO grateful!_

_I may post another chapter tonight...I'm not sure yet, cause I still have to finish a short story for my English class that's due tomorrow. But if I don't get around to it, it'll probably be on tomorrow._

_Until then, enjoy!_

_P.S. I don't own the brand names Nick & Nora or Bearpaw. Idk what the NYC sweatshirt is...that one's kinda random..._

CHAPTER TWO: AN UNEXPECTED VISIT

Well, if you know me well, you'll know I did nothing to help my dad and sister with their "Christmas problem". I just sat on the sidelines while they got crazier and crazier.

My mom frequently had talks with my dad after they had put me and Susan to bed. I'm not one to eavesdrop, but I could hear bits and phrases of their conversation, like "setting a bad example" and "putting our family in jeopardy" and "grow up". I was guessing this wasn't a good thing.

For some reason, I thought they were talking about Susan, because her name came up a lot in their conversations. I tried to convince Susan to pretend she didn't believe Dad, but she was too busy adding to her five-page-long Christmas list. It was then I realized that Susan wasn't the problem.

Dad was.

Dad was the one who was setting a bad example.

Dad was the one putting our family in jeopardy.

Dad was the one who had to grow up.

After that, I got very scared. What if Mom and Dad got a divorce because of all this Christmas stuff? If they did…I didn't even want to think what would happen after that.

I asked my mom about it, and she assured me nothing of the sort would happen. She said that she and Dad were "having a colorful disagreement at the moment". I could so tell she was treating me like Susan whenever she asked about that kind of stuff. I knew that if Dad didn't shape up soon, our family could potentially fall apart.

...

The days flew by, and finally it was Christmas Eve. We went to church like we always did, and then went back to our house to greet our relatives. As usual, our house was buzzing with people, and everyone was tripping over everyone else to get to the food. I, personally, hung out by the wall where no one, save my grandparents and a few cousins, could bother me.

Everyone finally went home, and the four of us remained once more.

We watched some TV specials (which I hated), sang some Christmas carols (which I hated), and put out the cookies and milk for Santa (which I hated). After what seemed like forever, Mom and Dad put me and Susan to bed. I fell asleep immediately.

...

For some reason, I awoke with a jolt some-odd hours later. I looked at the clock. 11:55. I sighed. Why couldn't time go faster? I wanted the night to end so I could get Christmas over with.

Suddenly, I heard a distant rumbling sound. At first, I thought it was someone's stomach or something, but then I realized that it was too strong to be that. It belonged to something big.

Something headed this way.

The ground began to shake, and everything in my room began vibrating. I was about to scream "Earthquake!" when I stopped for two reasons: 1) We live in Michigan; the only earthquakes there are so small, you wouldn't notice them, and 2) no one had come into my room to help me out or whatever.

I looked to the window. Through the curtains, a bright light shone in. A loud whistle sounded.

As the ground continued to shake, I grabbed my black NYC zip-up hoodie and put it over my pink Nick & Nora panda bear pajamas. I ran downstairs and put my brown Bearpaw suede boots on, shaking as I did so.

Then, not knowing what would be beyond the door, I took a deep breath and went outside.


	5. 3: The Polar Express

CHAPTER THREE: THE POLAR EXPRESS

It had begun to snow, and there was a fresh blanket of the fluffy white stuff on the ground. The toes of my boots instantly were covered with newly fallen snowflakes, and I was shivering because of the cold.

But I didn't notice.

Because there, on my street, in front of my house, was a huge, black train.

"Oh, my God," I said to myself, walking up to it. How had this…machine gotten there? Whoever was driving must have been super drunk or something, because there were no tracks anywhere near my house. I shook my head in amazement as I stared up at the massive tank.

"ALL ABOARD!" a voice rang out in the night. I turned around. In the glow of the bright lights coming from inside the train, I could see the silhouette of someone standing further down the line of train cars. My feet having a mind of their own, I began to walk through the snow towards the person.

"ALL ABOARD!" the person called again.

I was finally close enough to see the person clearly. It was a man…a really, really tall man (to me, at least; I was short for my age). He was in a nice-looking suit and he had a hat on his head that said CONDUCTOR. He wore glasses and he had a mustache.

The whole time he stared at me, I was thinking, _Okay…random creeper randomly comes to my house in a random train. Wow. What a bizarre dream. I really need to stop eating cold pizza before I go to bed._

"Well…" the man said, interrupting my thoughts. "You coming?"

I looked at him. "What? Coming where?"

"Why to the North Pole, of course!" the man said, projecting his voice as if there was a whole crowd of people listening to him. "This is the Polar Express!"

Oh, no.

Not this AGAIN.

I stared at him. "Do you think I'm some sort of idiot?" I asked him. "Do you think I'd be so stupid and delirious to believe that this is some magic train that's going to take me to the North Pole?" I started laughing. "Wow!" I said between breaths. "You are so bizarre! Dude, did my dad call you or something? Did he seriously have you come here to make me believe in some stupid, silly train? Oh, my God!"

The man stood patiently, not saying anything. I stopped laughing and realized that my dad mustn't have called him. Which meant…this guy was for real.

"Oh, crap, you're serious," I said.

The man continued to stare at me. "Hold on a minute." He picked up a clipboard sitting on the steps leading up to the nearest train car and held it out to me. "This is you, right?"

I looked at the piece of paper. Only one name was on it.

Mine.

"If I answer no, will you leave me alone?"

"No."

"Fine. Yeah, that's me."

"Well…it says here that you've despised Christmas ever since you were little. You've never enjoyed the holidays and always celebrated when they were over." He put the clipboard back and looked at me again.

"Yeah, so?" I asked. "Is there a problem with that?"

"I don't know," he said. "Is it a problem for _you_?"

"If you mean Christmas, then, yes, it is a problem. I mean…there's just something about it that I cannot stand! Everyone's so happy, and everyone has the lights and the bows and the trees and all that jazz. And…I don't know, I guess I never really had it in me to enjoy that."

The man sighed. "Young lady," he said, "this train is a very special train. It doesn't come around every year, you know. And this was one of those years. But do you know why I'm breaking the rules and coming to your house?"

I shook my head.

"Because I guarantee you that by the end of tonight, you will believe in the Christmas Spirit like every other child who's ridden this train."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Let's go with that. You know what? I'll save you all the trouble of using the train this year. You can take it right back where it came from and wait till the next year it's scheduled to run." I turned around and started walking back to my house.

The man shook his head. "Like father, like daughter, I suppose."

I stopped and turned around. "What did you just say?"

"I said, 'Like father, like daughter'."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You mean he never told you?"

"Well…yeah, he told me," I said, walking back over. "I mean…yeah, Dad told me about the train and how he rode it and blah, blah, blah."

"He ever tell you he was just like you?"

My eyes widened. "No."

The man nodded.

"Get out. Dad was just like me?"

"Yep. The year he rode this train, he had the same doubts as you."

"No way! Dad was never like that! He's too…I don't know, full of Christmas Spirit or whatever. He's always believed. I know he has. You are SO full of baloney, man."

"You don't believe me? Well, then, see for yourself." He stepped aside, making way for me to climb the steps.

"Okay…I don't get it," I said.

"You don't believe me? Well, I can give you proof. As soon as you step foot on this train, you and I will be transported back in time to the night your father rode this train. I will not remember you until the whole experience is over. And fair warning: if you call him 'Dad', he'll know. And it will freak him out. So please…don't do that."

"You serious?" I asked. "You want me to get on the train?"

"Yes."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. You know, you're lucky I'm in such a generous mood."

Little did I know what I was getting myself into.


	6. 4: Meeting Dad

_A/N_

_Hola! Here it is! The first part of the moviefic section of this story! Oooh...it's so exciting..._

_P.S. I had no clue what the name of the store in the movie is, so I changed it to Macy's (idk...it seems like a Christmasy-type of store...). Oh, and the whole Know-It-All Kid babble about the train...he talks so fast, I could only pick up half of what he was saying! So I just made the last part up, I guess..._

_Enjoy!_

-

CHAPTER FOUR: MEETING DAD

I made it to the passenger car where all the other kids were. And, man, did I almost start laughing. These kids were dressed like total dorks! They had old-looking nightgowns and footy pajamas and everything.

I thought they were SOOO weird…

Apparently, they thought I was kinda weird, too, because they immediately stared at me like I had gills or something. I quickly sat down in a random seat, hoping no one would talk to me.

For some reason, this girl across the aisle kept staring at me. I took a sidelong glance at her a few minutes later and she was STILL looking at me. _Wow…she is super creepy, _I thought a bit rudely.

"Hey!" the kid sitting in front of me said. I turned to see a boy with nerdy glasses, looking me in the eye. "Why do you look so strange?"

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe _I_ don't. Maybe _you _do."

"Yeah, right," the kid said. "I'm the normalest person you'll meet on here."

"Yep," I said. I looked to see that girl staring at me.

Oh, what had I gotten myself into?

"So, where are you from?" the nerdy kid asked me.

"Um…I'm from…Michigan," I said.

"Oh. Do you know where I'm from?"

"Crazy Town?" I muttered under my breath.

"Oh, no. I'm not from Crazy Town! That's on the other side of the river! I'm actually from Chicago! It's so windy there! Windier than you'd think! In fact, it's--"

And this continued for another few minutes. I tried to tune it out, but between Talkative Boy and the Eye-Eye Girl, I was about to explode.

The train slowed down all of a sudden. "Why did we stop?" I asked.

"We're picking up another kid," the nerdy kid said.

I looked out the window. I couldn't really see who we were picking up because of all the train smoke. However, whoever it was wasn't getting on the train. The conductor hopped back on and motioned for the train to start moving.

"Hold up!" I said, running to the back. "Why are we moving?" I stopped myself. "Wait, why do I even care?"

"Go sit down, miss," the conductor said. "I have matters under control." I had no choice but to do as I was told.

About a minute later, a boy around my age got on the train and started walking down the aisle. He had yellow pajamas and a blue bathrobe. His hair was brown, just like mine. And he also had freckles on both sides of his face, like me, too…

He seemed really familiar, somehow. From where, I didn't know. But then I saw a pocket of his bathrobe was ripped. And the hole was just big enough for a certain silver bell to slip through.

I gasped. "Dad?"

He stopped at the seat I sat in and looked at me. "Huh?"

I quickly turned away, embarrassed. What was wrong with me? I was acting like someone I didn't know.

And, man, was it scaring me.

My dad sat down next to me, and I saw out of the corner of my eye that the weird girl was now staring at him. Okay, if she stole my dad, I was never going to forgive her--

"Hey, you!" the nerdy kid said. We both looked up. "Yeah, you! Do you know what kind of train this is?"

My dad looked from side to side. "Huh?"

"Train. Do you know what kind of train this is? Well, do ya?"

"Uh…how am I supposed to know?" my dad asked.

I just had to giggle at that. He looked at me and I immediately stopped. "Sorry," I said.

"It's a magic train," the girl across the aisle said. "We're going to the North Pole."

"Aw, I know it's a magic train," the nerdy kid continued. "Actually, it's a Baldwin-284-S3-Class-First-Steam Locomotive…"

And he kept going on and on! Goodness, this kid was weird!

"Are we really going to the North Pole?" my dad asked the girl.

"Mmm-hmm," she said, excited. "Isn't that wonderful?"

My dad turned away. "Yeah…if you believe in that kind of stuff."

"I hear you," I said.

He turned to me. "Huh?"

I gave him a look. "What, you actually think I believe we're going to the North Pole? Heck no! I don't even know why I got on this stupid train."

My dad nodded. "I know what you mean." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Chris."

I shook his hand. "Lucy."

"Lucy?" he asked.

"Uh…yeah. Something wrong?"

"No. It's just…that name seems familiar somehow…"

"Oh, I hope it does," I said to myself.

"Hey, everyone!" the nerdy kid shouted. "Look! Look out the window! We're passing Macy's!"

Everyone raced to the windows to see the local Macy's all lit up with presents in the window. It was part of their Christmas display.

"Wow! Look at all those presents! I want all of them!" the nerdy kid said more to himself than anyone else. I rolled my eyes. This kid was getting on my nerves.

"It's so beautiful," the girl said, her eyes taking on a dreamy look.

I looked at my dad. He was watching the mechanical Santa in the window. The mechanical wheel attached to the robot's back was all it took for my father to shake his head and turn away.

And for some reason…that bugged me.

A lot.

As the kids continued to watch the window, I came to a realization. I was beginning to care about Christmas.

And all I could think was the following:

HELP ME!!!!!!!!!


	7. 5: Tickets and a New Arrival

_HEY!!! OMG I GOT INTO THE ONE-ACT PLAYS AT MY SCHOOL!!!!!! I'M SO HAPPY!!! (I know you guys don't care, but...!!!!!)_

_Since I'm in such a good mood, here's another chapter! Enjoy!_

_-_

CHAPTER FIVE: TICKETS AND A NEW ARRIVAL

"Tickets!" the conductor called. "Tickets, please!" He clicked a hole-puncher so fast, I thought it'd fly out of his hands and hit the ceiling.

He stopped at our seat. "Ticket, please," the conductor said.

My dad stared blankly at him.

"Try your pocket," the conductor suggested.

Dad stuck his hand in his ripped pocket.

"Try the other one," the conductor said, rolling his eyes.

Dad did and pulled out a golden ticket with a picture of the train on it and the words "Round Trip". He stared, wide-eyed.

"Whoa, baby!" I exclaimed. I smirked and put on a British accent. "You've found Wonka's last Golden Ticket!"

Everyone stared at me. I giggled nervously. "Just a joke," I said. "What, y'all never seen _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_?"

As they continue to stare, I slunk down in my seat. Of course. The movie hadn't come out yet, and wasn't going to for another…thirty years or so.

The conductor, ignoring my blunder, took my dad's ticket and punched not one, but many holes in his ticket. When he gave it back, on the ticket were the letters "B" and "E". Dad frowned, very confused.

After my ticket was punched, I had the letters "R" and "E". Wow, this made absolutely no sense. I was starting to think that maybe, if I begged him long enough, the conductor would let me off the train. But…if I left now…I'd never return to my own time. I'd be stuck in the past.

Where'd there'd be no cool movies.

No iPods.

And definitely no cellphone service.

I had no choice but to stay put.

"What's with the random letters?" I finally asked Dad, trying to start up a conversation.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "Maybe it's supposed to spell a word or something."

"Maybe," I said.

"Or maybe more letters will be added later."

"Maybe."

"Boy, that guy sure likes to show of with that ticket punch of his," the nerdy kid said, turning around. "Look at what the wise guy punched on my ticket!" He held it out so we could see an "L" and an "E" on the ticket. "L, E," he said. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

As he walked away, I got an idea in my head. "Maybe when his ticket's done, it'll spell 'Leave'." My dad started to laugh, which made me laugh, too.

"Next stop: 11344 Edbrook," the conductor said into the intercom.

"Oh, boy!" the nerdy kid said. "We're heading to the other side of the tracks!"

I scrunched up my face in confusion. "What?"

My question wasn't answered. Instead, the train stopped in front of a small, yellow house. The conductor got off the train and met a small boy with big, black boots on.

Dad, the nerdy kid and I stuck our heads out the window to check out the scene. "Aw, whatever!" the nerdy kid said, waving his hand passively. "It's just another pick-up." He turned to my dad. "That's weird. I thought you were the last one on the list."

After he stuck his head back in, I heard the conductor announce his famous line about the train. "Does he say that to everyone?" I asked.

"He said it to me," Dad answered.

"He said it to me, too."

Dad nodded. "He must rehearse or something."

The boy in the boots stepped back, indicating he wasn't coming with.

"Suit yourself," the conductor said, jumping back on. He signaled to the driver, and the train started up again.

As the train started pulling away, the little boy looked up at us with sad eyes. All Dad could do was feebly wave at the poor kid.

Suddenly, the kid started running. It must have been hard with those boots, because he looked as if he'd trip any second.

"Come on!" my dad called to him. "Hurry up!"

The kid accidentally tripped, the train going by without a care. That image was engraved in my mind at that moment, and as it was, it struck a cord in me and I had a revelation.

I turned to my dad. "We have to stop the train."


	8. 6: A Horrible Mistake

_A/N_

_Hey! I might not post anything tomorrow (due to a choir concert, that short story I was writing earlier, and a few tests I have to study for). But the good news is that I will be pretty much free for all of Christmas vacation! So I'll be posting more!_

_Happy reading!_

_-_

CHAPTER SIX: A HORRIBLE MISTAKE

"We have to stop the train!" Dad said when the two of us had stuck our heads back in.

"I don't know how to stop the train!" the girl said.

_Dude…we weren't asking you! _I thought.

"The emergency brake!" the nerdy kid cried, pointing to a handle on the back wall.

Dad ran to the stepladder on the back wall and pulled the brake. We heard the brakes squeal, and we were all suddenly thrown forward and onto the floor.

As we picked ourselves up, I saw my dad wave at someone. I guessed that the little boy had gotten on the train. But…he didn't enter our car. He went to the one next to it.

Well, as you can imagine, the conductor stormed in, livid. "Who in the blazes applied that emergency brake?!" he shouted.

The nerdy kid stood up. "He did!" he said, pointing to Dad.

_What a tattletale! _I thought, glaring at him. But as the conductor approached us, all I could think was, _Oh, snap…we are SOOOO dead._

The conductor stood facing Dad, staring him down. "In case you didn't know, that cord is for emergency purposes only! And in case you didn't know, tonight--" here he made his signal out the window to the driver to drive "--is Christmas Eve! And this train is on a very tight schedule!"

"But--" I tried to cut in.

"Now, young man," the conductor continued, not even noticing me, "Christmas may not be important to some people, but it is very important to the rest of us!"

"But…but--" Dad stuttered.

"He was just stopping the train so that kid could get on!" the girl piped up.

The conductor looked to the next car and saw the boy. "Oh…I see." He turned to my dad again. "Young man…is that what happened?"

Dad nodded vigorously. He turned to me and the girl, and all three of us nodded.

I could tell the conductor was at a loss of words. _Ha, ha…you don't have anything to say to that, do you?_

"Well…let me remind you: this train is on a very tight schedule! And I have never been late before…and I am certainly not going to be late tonight! Now, everyone: take your seats, please!"

No one wasted any time getting back to the seats. I lingered a bit on purpose, just to annoy the conductor, but when he gave me his signature glare, I quickly sat down.

He then picked up the intercom and asked if any of us wanted refreshments or whatever. I was the only one who didn't raise my hand. Hello! I had had cold pizza before I went to bed! If anything, I was full!

But then these dancing waiters and chefs came out with HOT CHOCOLATE. And, if you know me well, you know that, whatever the circumstances, I cannot resist hot chocolate…especially coming from dancing, singing waiters.

After they were gone, everyone was stuffed. But that didn't stop from the nerdy kid from talking some more about random stuff. Dad and I exchanged glances, trying to keep our laughter to ourselves.

As the nerdy kid started talking to other kids, I noticed the girl across the aisle going under her seat. When she emerged, a cup of hot chocolate was in her hands. I figured she must have sneaked it there.

"Where are you going with that?" Dad asked.

She smiled at us. "It's for him," she said simply, and I knew instantly she meant the kid in the other train car.

"I don't think we're supposed to leave our seats," Dad pointed out.

"Yeah!" the nerdy kid chimed in. "It's a violation of railroad safety regulations for a kid to cross moving cars without a grownup."

I sighed. "Normally, I wouldn't agree with you, nerdy kid--"

"It's Eddy, actually."

"Fine. Normally, I wouldn't agree with nerdy kid--" Here he gaped at me "--but I really think you shouldn't do that."

The girl stared at the three of us. "I think I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" Dad persisted as she walked away.

She suddenly stopped. I thought it was cause Dad had finally gotten her goat or whatever, but then I heard heavy footsteps behind us. I turned and saw the conductor approaching us again.

_Uh-oh…_

The girl turned around and stared up at the conductor.

"What about this lad in the back?" he asked. "Did he get anything?"

The girl shook her head no.

"Well, then! Let's take some to him, by all means!" he exclaimed, leading the girl to the door. They exited without a problem.

"Uh-oh!" Dad said. "She forgot her ticket!" He picked it up and examined it. "It hasn't been punched."

"Yeah. So?" I asked. "When they get back, she can get it punched. No biggie."

But my dad had other plans. He ran to the door and opened it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Eddy, the nerdy kid, said. "You're going to get us all in trouble!"

"I hate to agree with him, but…seriously, Chris, you can't do this!"

The cold air rushed in, and Dad was on the edge, about ready to cross. He didn't do so at first, and I saw him teeter a little. I was about ready to drag him back in when he started grabbing at something. I looked out the window and saw a flash of gold.

He had let the stupid thing go.

He pushed past me to where the ticket was caught in one of the windows. He opened it carefully, but the ticket flew away, anyway, out of his grasp.

I sighed and tilted my head back.

This was SO not good.


	9. 7: No Common Sense

_Hey! Here's another chapter! Enjoy!_

CHAPTER SEVEN: NO COMMON SENSE

The conductor and the girl soon came back in. Dad couldn't bear to look at them. I put an awkward hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, but it didn't work.

It only got worse when the conductor asked for the girl's ticket.

"I left my ticket right here on the seat," she insisted, "but it's gone."

"You mean, you have lost your ticket?" the conductor said loudly, as if he wanted the whole world to hear.

_Wow…he's being such a jerk about all this! Just get her a new one! _

"She didn't lose it," Dad said, getting up out of his seat. "I did."

Everyone turned to look at him. He shyly made his way over to the girl and the conductor.

"I was…trying to return it to you," Dad explained. "But the wind blew it out of my hand."

_Goodness, you are so STUPID, Dad! You shouldn't have touched the dang thing in the first place! Why must these people be so…ignorant to common sense? WHY?_

"Here," Dad sad, pulling his own ticket out of his pocket. "You can have mine." He started handing it to the girl, who was about to take it gratefully.

I figured this could work. I mean…SOMEONE needed a new ticket in the end.

But I guess the conductor had other plans, because he snatched it out of my dad's hands and gave it back. "These tickets are no transferable!" he said darkly.

My eyes widened. I had never seen him so…scary before. Sure, maybe frustrated…but never scary.

No, not scary. More like…crazy.

Insane.

Belonging in the nuthouse.

"Young lady," the conductor continued. "You will just have to come along with me." He led her to the door of the car and shut it behind him, shaking his head at Dad.

"You know what's gonna happen now?" Eddy said. "He's gonna throw her off the train!"

"WHAT?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah! They do it all the time!"

"No! Not to a kid! That's horrible! Besides, if he does, I'll just kick his butt!"

"He will!" Eddy insisted. "He'll probably throw her right off the rear platform! It's standard procedure! That way, she won't get sucked down under the wheels!"

A very terrible image came into my mind as he said that sentence. And what made it worse was all Dad could do was stare at the door. He had to do something! This was his problem! He had to fix it!

Or…did _I _have to?

Was that the whole reason I had even got on the train? To help my Dad fix his petty problems and help him gain the common sense he obviously lacked?

I shook my head. I was so gullible.

"They may slow the train down a little bit, but they're never gonna stop it!" Eddy went on.

My dad's face lit up as a light bulb went off in his head. "That's it! I have to stop the train again!" he said, reaching for the handle.

"NOOOO!" we all shouted. "Not again!"

But he never got the chance to.

Because before he did, he saw a flash of gold in the vent that was right above the handle.

He reached in, and out came the ticket.

"Oh, my..." I said, trailing off. How had that thing gotten back?

Well, whatever had happened to it, finding it in the air vent was all that needed to happen, because my dad began to head toward the door.

"No, wait!" I said.

"What?"

"I'm coming with."

"No, you're not! You have to stay here."

"Well, it's pretty obvious you're going to mess something up again-"

Dad's eyebrows knitted together. "Are you saying I mess things up?"

"Well…" I said sheepishly. "Not _all _the time-"

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better. You know, just for that, I'm making you stay in this car. Whether you like it or not." With that, he turned around, opened the door, and jumped to the next car.

And for some reason…I had the sudden impulse to sit down. I don't know what made me do it. I just…did it.

It was weird.

Very weird.

...

Ten minutes later, my legs were going up and down because I was so nervous. Dad hadn't come back yet.

"That's it," I said, making up my mind and walking toward the door. "I'm going out there."

"No!" Eddy said. "You can't do that! Those other two are in enough trouble as it is! If you go out there, we're all dead meat!"

I turned to face him. "Does it look like I care? My da-my very close friend is out there, risking his life!" I turned around and faced that dreaded door.

"And I have to save him."


	10. 8: FlatTop Tunnel

_Hey, everone! I know this chapter's a little short...but, trust me...it's far from boring!_

CHAPTER EIGHT: FLAT-TOP TUNNEL

After crossing between cars, I ran down the aisle of the second car. The boy sitting there didn't seem to notice me, which didn't affect me in the least.

I flung open the door at the back of the car, and all that awaited me was train tracks, snow, and really cold wind.

No one was there.

_Shoot! Don't tell me all three of them jumped off!_

Suddenly, I heard a voice on top of the roof. "Wait!…Wait!" it called into the darkness.

I cocked my head. Wait for what?

"Wake up!" I suddenly heard it say. "Wake up! WAKE UP!"

I listened closer and then I realized who it was.

Dad.

But then there was another voice. Saying something about… "jumpin' them knuckles". Uh, no. Absolutely not. I had no idea what that meant, but there was no way my father was jumping anything. I began to climb the ladder to the roof.

As soon as I got up there, I was faced with something startling: my father hanging from the roof and some crazy hobo on skis.

"DAD!" I screamed.

"LUCY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE? I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN THE CAR!"

I was about to answer, but the hobo quickly stuck out his ski pole to Dad. He grabbed on, and they were off, the hobo obviously not seeing me.

Well, that was just great. I got to spend the next some-odd minutes chasing my dad and a hobo on skis, all while on top of a fast-moving locomotive.

Oh, yeah.

This so beat staying at home.

...

Jumping from car roof to car roof is harder than it looks. It didn't help that the wind was blowing against the way I was going and that it was snowing. But it did help that the train was going downhill. And the cars weren't spaced that far apart.

After every car I jumped, I saw a black blur getting closer and closer. I knew that that was my dad, and that kept me going. Just knowing that I was getting nearer to him, knowing that I had a chance to help him…that was all that mattered.

I finally caught up with them and stood right behind them. As I breathed a sigh of relief, I saw that we were approaching a tunnel. The opening looked just like the mouth of a monster, sharp icicles dangling from the top.

Over the roar of the wind, I heard the word "JUMP!" And the hobo disappeared!

Dad jumped into the coal car, but didn't sink in right away. His head still poked out of the pile of coals, and he had a pretty good view of me.

"DAD!" I called.

"LUCY! LOOK OUT!" I looked up to see the tunnel opening nearing pretty fast. I screamed, but my voice was lost in the wind.

As my dad sank into the coal pile, I could hear him cry, "LUCY! NOOOOOO!"

I closed my eyes and prepared to hit the tunnel wall.

And then everything went black.


	11. 9: Dad Saved Me!

CHAPTER NINE: DAD SAVED ME!

I saw Dad. Falling, falling, falling…into a bottomless pit. I tried to call out, but no words would come. It was as if I was glued to wherever I was. And all I could do was watch him fall, fall, fall…

"DAD!" I finally shouted, sitting up and breathing heavily. I looked around and saw that I was in an empty passenger car, much like the one the little boy had been in.

And then in hit me.

I was alive!

I wasn't dead!

But…how? I was sure I'd hit the tunnel! I'd passed out, hadn't I?

So…how did that explain…?

"And she's awake!" I heard a gruff voice say. I turned to see a different hobo, sitting around a makeshift campfire. "Oh, thank God, she's awake!"

I stared at him. "What…what happened?"

"Do you really think you should be asking me that?" he asked.

I continued to stare at him blankly.

He sighed. "With that look you're giving me, I'm starting to understand why you just stood there."

"Stood there? You mean…?" I pointed upward.

"Yeah. You was just standing there, with your toothpick arms over your head. I couldn't let you be so stupid! So I pulled you through the roof and in here." He indicated the car.

I nodded, starting to understand. "But…how could you possibly have known? I was the only one up there…besides my dad."

He nodded. "I know, I know."

My eyes widened. "You know what? That we were the only ones up there, or that I'm really…?"

"Both."

"What? But how…that's impossible! Realistically, as of right now, I'm the only one who knows!"

He looked at me. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"I don't see how that could…" I trailed off, staring at him as he grinned at me.

"We folks know these things," he said.

I nodded slowly, trying to process this information. "So…where is my dad, anyway?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You're a ghost! I thought ghosts knew these things!"

He packed up his supplies in one swift move as the fire went out. "We only know the things we want to know."

Suddenly, the train was coming to a stop. I ran to the front of the car. "I think I know where he is!" I exclaimed.

I turned around, and the hobo was gone.

...

Now, as you can imagine, I had no time to worry about some crazy hobo. I jumped out of the car and somehow managed to climb onto the roof. I plopped down, holding myself and breathing heavily. It was the first time in about a half-hour that I could really calm myself and think about things.

I looked out over the frozen tundra to see why we'd stopped. A bunch of caribou were standing in our way.

And I'm not talking maybe thirty or forty.

I'm talking hundreds.

Thousands.

Hundreds of thousands.

Millions, maybe.

"CARIBOU CROSSING?" the conductor yelled, obviously frustrated. I laughed. For some reason, it made me laugh to see him very, very angry.

I heard footsteps beside the train, and the sounds of grunting as someone tried to climb up the car. A head suddenly came into view, and my dad climbed onto the roof.

"Oh, thank the Lord," he said, crawling over to me. But his relieved tone didn't last long. "What were you thinking? I told you to stay in the car! I don't know how it happened, but you're alive, and you should be very thankful! It could have been a whole lot worse!"

He started breathing heavily, tired from his mini-tirade. I looked at him, having the impulse to start crying.

Which I did.

I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his shoulder, sobbing up a storm. He froze at first, not sure what to do, but then put his own arms around me and held me tightly. "It's okay," he said consolingly. "It's gonna be okay…"

"It was the hobo," I said, my voice muffled.

"What?"

"The hobo," I said, pulling away and looking at him. "He said he knew I was in trouble and pulled me through the roof just as I was going to hit the tunnel."

He stared at me and then looked away. "That is so weird," he said, "because right when you were going to hit, I…I prayed that…you would be safe. That you wouldn't…you know…"

We sat in silence, knowing what had occurred was truly a miracle.


	12. 10: Caribou Coffee and Glacier Gulch

_Hello, everyone! Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I was at my grandparents' house...and, well, let's just say their Internet connection isn't the best. So I virtually had no computer. But now I'm home again and can post some more! Yay! _

_P.S. I wouldn't count on this being done by Christmas...maybe a couple days after..._

_Enjoy!_

CHAPTER TEN: CARIBOU COFFEE AND GLACIER GULCH

"We'd better get down there," I said after a minute. "We wouldn't want Mr.-I'm-Never-Late to get any more frustrated than he already is."

"Yeah," Dad agreed. "I think if he blows up one more time, that vein in his head will pop."

We both laughed at that as we climbed carefully down from the car and joined the others.

"We're in some serious jelly," the conductor was saying.

"Jelly? Ooh! I could go for some jelly with toast!" I piped up. "And maybe some coffee from Caribou! Get it? Caribou Coffee? And there's caribou?

He turned and glared at me. As soon as he looked away, I started to snicker.

I suddenly heard this really weird moaning sound. It turned out that Dad and slipped and, trying to grab ahold of something, he grabbed the beard of one of the engineer's. One of the caribou in front made a similar sound, but it was more high-pitch.

This gave the conductor an idea. He did the same thing Dad did a couple more times, and, miraculously, the caribou moved off the tracks! If that wasn't a miracle, I didn't know what was.

Oh, wait…never mind.

...

The engineers went back to the coal car to start up the train again, which left the conductor, the weird girl, Dad and I at the front of the train. For some reason, I had a bad feeling in my stomach. A feeling something was going to happen.

Something bad.

"We're going pretty fast," my dad remarked. And we were. The train started to move faster and faster and faster…

The conductor turned to the girl. "Tell the engineer to slow down, Shannon," he said.

Shannon? So that was her name? Well, I guess it was better that way. I wouldn't have to call her weird girl anymore.

As soon as I thought that, I realized I was starting to…change. I was starting to care about things.

I was starting to believe.

Oh, man.

I hated this train.

Anyway, Shannon yelled to the engineers to slow down, but as soon as she did, I knew it was hopeless. We were going so fast, her tiny voice was probably lost in the wind the second the words came out of her mouth.

"They can't hear me!" Shannon reported.

_Oh, great, _I thought. _Those bumbling idiots have really done it now! They probably broke something on accident and now are trying to fix it, so they can't hear her! _

We started to pass warning signs-the kind you'd see going up to the Wicked Witch of the West's castle-and the tracks started to get rickety. I made an effort to look down and saw that frail wooden beams were the only thing holding us up. I gripped Dad's hand tightly, and I saw that he tried not to grimace in pain.

"I don't like the look of this," the conductor said. "Quick! Under the safety bar!"

"Is everything…is everything all right?" Dad asked worriedly, managing to wriggle his hand out of mine. "What should we do?"

"Well," the conductor said, tying a belt around all four of us, "considering the fact that we have lost communication with the engineers, we are standing totally exposed on the front of a locomotive, the train appears to be accelerating uncontrollably, and we are rapidly approaching Glacier Gulch-which just happens to be the steepest downhill track in the world, I suggest that we all hold on…TIGHTLY!"

We hit the drop, and down we went. It was just like Valley Fair's fastest, biggest roller coaster, the Wild Thing.

Only steeper.

And scarier.

And I wasn't sure I was going to make it off alive this time.

I obviously had no time to think because all four of us were screaming. Dad was now crushing my hand with his-either for payback or for comfort or both, I'm not sure-and screaming like a girl. I would have laughed, but I was too busy trying not to notice that my stomach kept dropping.

"Jiminy Crickets!" the conductor yelled. "The ice is frozen over the tracks!"

I had no idea what he was talking about, so I looked at him funny. Then he pointed straight ahead, and I saw what he meant.

There was a huge lake coming up, and it was frozen. No tracks were in sight. And for the third time that night, I assumed we were all dead.


	13. 11: The Next Titanic

_A/N: About the names of Know-It-All and Hero Girl...I made them up. I don't own them. I just thought they needed names._

_And any brand names or other references I make to real-world things...I don't own those, either._

-

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE NEXT TITANIC

As soon as the train hit the ice, it skidded this way and that. I sighed. As if almost getting smushed by a tunnel and going down really steep tracks wasn't enough! Now we had to go ice-skating?

We hit an iceberg and Shannon practically fell off. The conductor grabbed hold of her, but then he was about to fall off, so Dad and I got ahold of him. And as soon as it looked like all four of us would go tumbling off…my dad turned around to look at something. I looked to where he was looking and saw the hobo that had saved me.

We finally got back on the train, the hobo disappearing as we did so. Dad and I exchanged glances.

It was about time those moronic engineers fixed whatever they were fixing, because the train finally slowed down and stopped. But not before turning itself all the way around.

The four of us made our way to the engineers. "What in the name of Mike…?" the conductor began.

As he was about to continue, something caught my eye. A little golden stick was sticking out of the ice. And coming out from there were cracks. Cracks that were moving quickly toward the train.

I gasped. The conductor, Shannon, and Dad all looked at me and then to the ice. There was a huge cracking sound, and they instantly realized what I had figured out.

The ice was breaking.

"Get us the blazes out of here!" the conductor commanded.

The engineers were able to turn the train around, thank goodness. We began to head away from the breaking ice, but to where, I had no idea.

"Look!" Dad said, pointing to a sliver in the huge icebergs lining the lake.

"Tracks!" the conductor cried.

I started bouncing up and down slightly. Sure, we had found tracks. But the question was would we make it in time? Considering our track record and the close calls from earlier, I was beginning to think--once again--that this was the end.

While I was thinking about this, I saw that stupid ticket fly in front of my face.

Why did I even bother?

"You're going to lose your ticket!" Shannon told him.

"It's not my ticket, it's yours!" Dad said.

"It's MY ticket?!"

"Yeah!"

They both started frantically grabbing for it. I would have, but it was too far out of my reach. That…and I was just so sick of the stupid thing!

"OH, NO!!!!" they both screamed. I looked and saw that the train was sinking. So this was how it ended? This train being the next _Titanic_?

"BRACE YOURSELVES!!!" the conductor hollered. He didn't have to tell me twice.

So you can see how happy I was when I heard metal against metal and saw that the train had made it on the tracks.

"WE DID IT!!!" I started jumping up and down like an idiot, hugging them both. "OH, MY GOSH WE ALMOST DIDN'T! BUT WE DID!!!! YAY!!!!"

"Calm down, Lucy," Dad said, laughing, and I suddenly felt relaxed. Dad stared at me and I at him. There was something weird going on…

"Thank you!" Shannon said, hugging him and completely cutting of my train of thought.

_Thanks for that, _I thought.

"I can' believe you found my ticket!" she said.

As if on cue, the conductor popped his head up. "Did someone say they found the ticket? Well, then…tickets, please."

He did his punching routine and handed it back. I was surprised to see the familiar "L" and "E".

"L, E?" she thought out loud.

"Hey, you're like that one know-it-all kid…" Dad said.

"His name's Eddy," I said. They both looked at me and my eyes widened. "Oh, my gosh…I DO care!" I said, slapping my forehead.

They laughed, and I couldn't help but join in.


	14. 12: A Talk With Dad

_Hello! I would just like to thank my good friend, Shinjite Florana, who gave me the idea for the hobo to save Lucy the way he did. She brought me out of my writer's block! Thank you!_

_P.S. I do not own the brand Emit Kelly. And I also do not own the lyrics to the song "Purpose" or the rights of "Avenue Q"._

CHAPTER TWELVE: A TALK WITH DAD

The conductor felt it was best if we got back to the passenger car so the other kids wouldn't be totally freaked out. Personally, I didn't care what we did. As long as I got a piece of mind and got to relax for more than five seconds, I was all for whatever.

We had a hard time getting there, since it was kinda slippery. I suppose the conductor thought it was necessary to accompany the experience with a story.

"Years ago, on my first Christmas Eve run, I was up on the roof making my rounds when I slipped on the ice myself! It looked like I was done for, yet I did not fall off this train."

"Someone saved you?" Shannon asked.

"Or some_thing_."

I took a sharp breath. I knew instantly it was the hobo.

"An angel!" Shannon said.

"Maybe…" the conductor said, not really agreeing.

I guess Dad was thinking the same thing I was, cause he climbed down from the roof and started following the conductor. "Wait, wait! What did he look like? Did you see him?"

"No, sir! But sometimes seeing is believing. And sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."

After that, a silence followed as we walked back to the car. On the way there, we passed through a car filled with all sorts of toys. I don't know about the others, but I was really uncomfortable in there. Especially when I saw an Emit Kelly doll.

I pushed ahead and made it to the passenger car. Shannon went on to the next one, but I was eager to ask the conductor something.

"Hey," I said. "Um…have you noticed something weird about Da-I mean, Chris?"

"No."

"Well…it seems that when he gives me a command…I have to do it."

"He must have some authority then," he remarked, walking away.

I rolled my eyes. _Some help you are._

Dad came in and slammed the door shut. I guessed he got freaked out, too. And maybe it wasn't just because of the Emit Kelly.

"Um…hi," I said.

He looked at his feet and said nothing.

"What's wrong?"

"He's right."

"Whoa…who's right?"

He looked at me. "The hobo."

I looked from side to side. "Right about what?"

"That I'm a Scrooge. I'm killing Christmas."

"Oh, come on. You are not. Maybe that hobo has amazing reflexes…and, sure, maybe he knows a thing or two about…important stuff. But when it comes to you, I know he's one-hundred percent wrong."

"How can you know for sure?"

Well, what could I say to that? I know because I'm your future daughter?

"I know…because I can tell that you're a good person. All you need is a little nudge."

It sounded like the cheesiest thing I'd ever said, but I think it helped, because he gave me a smile.

"You missed it!" Eddy said, coming up to us. "We rode down some really sharp hills! And then we were on what looked like a frozen lake! But I know it was just an optical illusion caused by moonlight and atmosphere!"

"Um…I really don't care, kid-" I started.

Dad wasn't listening anymore. He was looking at the other passenger car.

"He said the train was actually on the ice!" Eddy went on. "But I said that was impossible! Because you can't put a train track-"

Dad went toward the door, me in tow.

"Hey, where are you going?" Eddy called after us.

But we were already in the other car.

...

When we got there, Shannon was spying on the little kid, who was singing a song about Christmas. Shannon joined in, and it sounded pretty good, I guess. I never saw the kid smile before, and he really looked…happy.

Shannon took him inside after that. I think she wanted to talk to him about something. But whatever the reason, I went out and watched the Aurora Borealis paint the sky with beautiful swirls.

"Wow," Dad breathed. "I've never seen it up close. It's so beautiful."

"Yeah," I said. I looked at him and smiled. For some reason, this moment was just…perfect. Watching the Northern Lights with my dad on some stupid magical train on Christmas Eve…it was a bit odd, but I liked it.

Dad noticed me looking at him. "What are you looking at?"

I kept smiling. "Nothing."

"Do you know something I don't?"

"Maybe…"

Dad looked down and picked up something shiny. "Hey, look! A penny!" He looked closely at it. "It's from the year I was born."

I found the perfect opportunity to ham up this musical moment. "It's a sign!" I sang loudly. I started to dance, but Dad got creeped out pretty quickly, so I stopped.

He laughed and shook his head. "There's something about you, Lucy…I don't know what…but you seem so familiar…" I shrugged. "You must know a lot of girls like me, is all."

He shook his head. "I…actually don't know a lot of people-let alone girls-like you. But…that's a good thing." He smiled. "Truthfully, as of right now…you're the only friend I've ever had."

That hit me deep. How was I supposed to answer? I mean, I had had a lot of friends in my life time. What was I supposed to do? Lie?

No. I couldn't do that to him. It was bad enough he couldn't know who I really was. So I took a deep breath and said the following:

"Well, truthfully for me…you're the best friend I've ever had."

He looked and looked at me for what seemed like forever. Then, out of nowhere, he hugged me. I could have sworn he started crying as he did so.

And as I hugged him back, I could have sworn that at that moment, we had no secrets between us and that he knew the truth.


	15. 13: North Pole Arrival

CHPATER THIRTEEN: NORTH POLE ARRIVAL

"Hey! You kids," the conductor said. "We just crossed it: latitude 66 degrees, 33 minutes…the Artic Circle. And do you see those lights in the distance? They look like the lights of a strange ocean liner sailing on a frozen sea. There…is the North Pole.

This is how everyone reacted:

Shannon's smile grew another five inches.

The little kid went back inside, not even wanting to see.

Dad looked up at the conductor with a mixture of surprise and disbelief on his face.

I took one look at those lights and something hit me: it really did exist.

I felt a bit woozy, and then for the second time that night, everything went black.

...

When I started to stir, I heard nothing. I opened one eye and found myself laying on my own seat.

"Aw, I knew she'd be okay," I heard Eddy remark. "Look, she's waking up."

I opened both eyes and found that Dad, Shannon, and Eddy were all crowding my seat. I sat up, confused. "What happened?"

"You fainted," Dad said.

"It's a good thing your head didn't hit the floor hard," Shannon said.

"Or that she didn't fall the other way: off the train," Eddy said. "Or maybe that would have been a good thing…"

I glared at him.

"Well, my work's done here," he said, walking off.

"I hope you're feeling better," Shannon said. She got up, my dad following. He stopped after a few paces and looked back at me.

"Um," he said to Shannon, "I think I'm going to…make sure she's completely fine."

Shannon nodded and went back to her seat.

"Hey," Dad said, sitting next to me. "You feeling better?"

"A little bit."

He put his hand on my forehead. "You seem a bit warm…"

_Oh, gee. I wonder why. Maybe it's cause you're making a big idiot out of yourself by doing that, not to mention embarrassing me._

"I'll be fine," I said, carefully putting his arm down. "I just got a bit…surprised, is all."

I made it back to my regular seat no problem. Dad followed me, just to make sure.

"We make it?" I ask.

Dad pointed out the window. "See for yourself."

I looked out and saw little brick streets lined with little brick houses, which were decorated with little Christmas wreaths and holly. It was cute, I suppose…

"Where are the elves?" someone asked.

"Shouldn't there be elves?" another kid inquired.

"They are gathering in the center of the city," the conductor explained. "That's where Santa will give the First Gift of Christmas."

Eddy popped his head up at the mention of this. "Who gets the First Gift?"

"He will choose one of you," the conductor answered in an ominous voice. For some reason, he looked right at my dad. Dad's reaction was frowning. I figured he thought that he was the last person to receive the First Gift of Christmas. He-besides me-didn't really deserve it.

Before further discussion could ensue, a couple other kids pointed out elves walking alongside the train. They were a bit shorter than I'd expected elves to look like, and they all had matching red outfits.

The train stopped, and everyone got off. The conductor rambled on and on about how he wanted us to proceed to the center of the city. I wasn't really listening because it was SOOOO boring.

"It's five minutes to midnight!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"Hey, what gives?" Eddy asked him. "It was five minutes to midnight four minutes ago!"

"Exactly!" the conductor said, going back to his rambling about two straight columns and whatnot.

"Excuse me," Shannon politely interrupted. "What about him?" She pointed to the last car where the little kid still sat.

"No one is required to see Santa," he said, going to the front of the group.

This, I guess, wasn't a good enough answer for her. She ended up dragging me and Dad with her to the car to try and get the kid to come with.

But as soon as my dad set foot on the car, he hit something with his foot, and I knew that something was going to go wrong.

Again.


	16. 14: Madeline Lost in Prison

_A/N: Hey, everyone! I might have this finished by Christmas! It's still a little iffy...I'm going to be pretty busy the next two days, considering Christmas and stuff. But I'm probably going to post another chapter or two tonight!_

_P.S. About the chapter title...um, the real title for the movie is "Madeline Lost in Paris", based on the Madeline books. But my dad thought he'd be funny and call it "Madeline Lost in Prison" or something. And I was rereading this chapter, trying to figure out what to call it, and I thought of that. So...yeah. I don't own Madeline. That belongs to...whoever wrote it (his name slips my mind at the moment...). And I do love Madeline...I just thought I'd stick that random thing in there, since I'm so random..._

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: MADELINE LOST IN PRISON

"You have to come with us," Shannon told the little boy when we got in the car.

"She's…she's right…" Dad panted, out of breath.

The little boy looked up at us with his big, brown eyes. "Christmas just doesn't work out for me. Never has."

"But Christmas is such a wonderful, beautiful time!" Shannon persisted. "It's a time for giving and being thankful. For friends and family. People hang decorations and lights. And then Santa leaves presents under our Christmas trees."

"Christmas just…doesn't work out for me," the little boy said, shrugging.

Dad sighed. "Look, I don't know if Christmas is going to work out for you or not, but this is Christmas Eve. Don't stay here by yourself."

"Yeah!" I chipped in. "Don't be like me every year and exclude yourself from everyone! I mean, I have an excuse, but you don't, dude."

All three of them looked at me.

"What? That's what I do."

"Um…I think what she's trying to say is…you should come with us…" Shannon said slowly. "We'll go together."

The boy looked from me to Shannon to Dad and back again. Before he said anything, we all felt the train start to move.

Or rather…the train _car _start to move.

"Okay…what was that?" I asked.

Dad opened the door and revealed what I had been dreading as soon as he had stepped on: the train car had disconnected itself from the rest of the train, and we were now moving slowly away.

"Oh, snap," I said.

We all ran to the back--which was technically the front, considering that was the end that was moving first--and looked to see where we were going.

"It's gonna be okay," Dad said.

But he spoke too soon. We hit a track switcher that led to a really steep hill.

"Maybe NOOOOOOTTTT!" Dad shouted, changing his mind.

We all held on for dear life as the car plummeted down the steep hill. I, for one, had had my fill of roller coaster-like rides, so I was the one who was screaming at the top of my lungs, "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"THE EMERGENCY BREAK!" Dad said. "I'M GOING TO FIND THE EMERGENCY BREAK!" He began to move the other way, towards the front of the car, leaving the three of us to cling on to whatever.

"THERE'S NO BREAK!" Dad called back to us once he had reached the front. "I CAN'T FIND A BREAK!"

"OH, NOW THAT'S JUST GREAT!" I hollered. "NOW WHAT?!"

The car suddenly was plunged into darkness as we went through a tunnel.

"ONLY AT THE NORTH POLE, RIGHT?!" I remarked.

No sooner had I said this comment, we came to a circular room with a circular platform in the center. The tracks we were on led to this platform, and there was a stopper at the very middle.

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH!" Shannon said.

And we did.

Well…I wouldn't say "crashed". It was more like we "hit the stopper so hard, we all fell over onto our faces".

But, hey, at least we stopped. And that was a bonus.

However, we started to spin.

"We're spinning!" Dad said.

So we were on a spinning platform.

Great.

We finally stopped. I could hear a heartwarming Christmas song over the intercoms, one that I particularly did NOT enjoy.

"Shh," Shannon said, cocking her head. "Do you hear that? The bell!" She jumped down from the train and onto the platform.

"What bell?" my dad asked, he, the boy and I following her.

"The sleigh bell!" Shannon answered as if we all heard it.

"Sleigh bell?" the boy asked excitedly.

She pointed to one of the various openings in the room. "It's coming from that tunnel!"

We followed her to the tracks that led to this tunnel. They overlooked an icy ravine that did not look the least bit friendly.

"That's the way we should go," she said.

And then she started walking across the tracks! With every step she took, I took a sharp intake of breath, hoping she wouldn't fall off.

"Come on!" she called to us.

"Wouldn't it be safer to sit down and scoot across?" I asked.

"But this way's faster," she said.

Dad and the boy followed what she did, but I went with my technique and sat down, sliding across. And Shannon was wrong about her way being faster. I frequently had to wait for the little boy to get a little ahead of me so I wouldn't run into him.

We all, luckily, made it off those deadly tracks okay (although all of us had at least one little slip-up). We followed the tracks outside and wove our way around the little elf apartments and under the little elf bridges.

"We're lost," Dad said when we stopped at a mini tunnel.

"We're Madeline lost in prison," I muttered to myself, quoting my dad on a future thing he would say about that movie.

"Yes," Shannon said.

"What, you're admitting we're lost or that we're Madeline lost in prison?" I asked.

"Yes, I hear it," she said.

"I hear it, too!" the boy said.

"I don't hear anything," Dad said, shaking his head.

I looked at him. "That's strange, cause…I don't, either."

"Okay, it's down this way!" Shannon said, not really caring.

"Are you sure?" Dad asked.

This made her stop and turn around. I thought she'd totally bite his head off, but instead, she said, "Absolutely."

And so we followed her into the tunnel, not knowing where it would lead.


	17. 15: The Last Present

_I apologize if I didn't spell "Neumatic" right...I can't spell that word..._

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: THE LAST PRESENT

The tunnel led us into a building. We went down a flight of tiny metal stairs, trying to be quiet.

"Why can't Lucy and I hear anything?" Dad asked. His voice echoed, and it came out louder than he had intended it to.

"Shh!" Shannon put a finger to her lips to signal everyone to be quiet.

The landing of the stairs led to a walkway overlooking a ton of high-tech equipment. Surrounding it were some elves, and in the center of the room was a huge globe and hundreds of TV monitors displaying kids sleeping in bed.

The elves started to talk about a last-minute present. I guessed they wrapped it wrong or something, cause one elf--who seemed to be in charge--started freaking out. Then they said that it was going to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Dad gasped. "That's my town!" he said. "I'm from Grand Rapids!"

"That's where I live, too," I wanted to say. But I stopped myself. I couldn't give these guys that much information. What if one of them went looking for me sometime soon? They wouldn't find me, because I didn't, technically, exist yet.

A buzzer sounded, and the elves found a kid whom was apparently labeled "naughty". They let him slide this time, but the head elf said "to put him on the check-twice list next year".

Then they all jumped into something they called the "Neumatic". They said it was "the only way to get to the square on time", which probably meant they were heading the same place we were trying to get to. As soon as they were out of sight, we made our move. We got into one of the cars of the…whatever it was, and off we went. It was pretty fast--so fast, I thought my hair was going to fly backwards.

When we got out, we arrived at a strange site. We were in a room with a conveyor belt going down the middle. On either side were big bolts of wrapping paper.

"I don't hear it," Shannon said, a bit depressed. She turned to the boy. "Do you?"

He shook his head. "No."

Dad looked at the conveyor belt and then at us. "I think we should follow those arrows," he said.

Shannon and the boy looked a bit skeptical.

"Well," I said, realizing Dad needed some support, "why not? It won't hurt trying."

He gave me a grateful smile, and off we went down the path of arrows.

***

When we came to the next room, all we found was more conveyor belt and a bunch of weird devices. Nothing else. No exit. Not one sign.

"I…I thought there'd be a way out," Dad confessed sheepishly, knowing we were lost.

"We're gonna miss everything," Shannon complained.

I looked at her. "Hold it. Now, maybe this didn't get us where we wanted to go. But at least he tried. He's been trying the whole night." I glanced at my dad. "And that's all I could ever hope for."

Shannon seemed a bit taken aback, but before anyone could say anything else, a loud buzzer sounded. We got off on a couple of nearby landings so the conveyor belt wouldn't move us any further. A present wrapped in red-and-white-stripped wrapping paper made its way to the conveyor belt.

"Hey, look! A present!" Dad said. He looked carefully at it as it rode by. "It's going to my town. To someone named Billy."

"My name is Billy!" the boy said.

"It's going to 11344 Edbrook Avenue," Shannon read.

"That's my address!" Billy said. He looked at the present, and then at us. He grabbed onto it, going through a passage to another room.

Well, we weren't going to let the poor kid go off by himself, so we followed him through the passage…and to the hugest indoor slide I've ever been on. It went SUPRE FAST! And I guess I was lucky to be going down on my behind, because Dad and Billy went down on their stomachs, and that must have been scarier, going headfirst.

After the slide, we slid down a big funnel, kinda like the ones at the mall where you drop coins in. However, instead of going into a black hole, we landed on a huge pile of presents.

"Look!" Billy said excitedly, still holding his present.

"It says, 'Merry Christmas Billy…from Mr. C'!" Shannon said.

Billy shook the package. "I think I know what it is! I've wanted one of these my whole life!"

He was about to open it when I noticed something. "Hold up," I said, and pointed to another note on the package. "Look what that says. 'Do not open until Christmas.'"

"But…but…" Billy said, a bit dejected.

"Those are the rules," Dad said.

We started moving suddenly. I noticed for the first time that at the foot of the pile there was a red bag.

And then I knew.

This was Santa's bag full of toys.

And we were right on top.

And if someone discovered us…we'd be in huge trouble.


	18. Miley Cyrus? She's Dead?

**OKAY SO LIKE I WAS JUST ON YOUTUBE FOR MY POLAR EXPRESS FANFIC AND I SAW SOME VIDEOS AND APPARENTY MILEY CYRUS IS SUPPOSEDLY DEAD???!!! SINCE WHEN?! IS SHE SERIOUSLY DEAD OR WHAT?! IF ANYONE KNOWS, PLEASE TELL ME!!!!!!!!! I KNOW THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY, BUT I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AND LIKE I REALLY TRUST ALL THAT TABLOID CRAP.**

**LET ME KNOW! I'LL APPRECIATE IT!**

~ElphieThroppDG28


	19. 16: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

_Sorry about freaking out about the whole Miley Cyrus deal. I guess it wasn't real...sorry..._

-

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: OUT OF THE FRYING PAN, INTO THE FIRE

After that, everything went very quickly. Somehow, a blimp-like vehicle of elves, picked up the bag of toys--with us in it--and lifted us up off the warehouse floor and into the air. We flew over the little houses and could see a bright, shining tree in the distance. The view was absolutely breathtaking.

And, for once, all was right with the world.

So, obviously, something had to ruin it.

That something happened to grab Billy by the leg and try to pull him deeper into the pile of presents.

"Something's got me!" he cried.

Shannon, Dad and I all got ahold of him. He clung to his present, pure fear reflected in his brown eyes. He would have let go of that present, but…you know…I think it was his first present from Santa. And…I understood that.

"On three!" Dad said. "One…two…three!"

We pulled, but whatever had him still hung on.

"It's still got me!" Billy said.

"On three again!" Dad said. "One…two…three!"

We were able to pull Billy, the present, and…who else?

Eddy.

"You!" Dad exclaimed.

"You?!" Eddy answered.

"What are you doing here?" Shannon asked.

"Same as you: I'm checking on my Christmas presents! I wanna make sure I get everything on my list! All I found was one present, and all it had was a bunch of stupid underwear!"

"Serves you right," I mumbled.

"Look!" Dad said, pointing below. We had made it to the big, shining tree.

"Hey," Shannon said, "it's still five-to. I think we're gonna make it!"

"Of course we will!" Eddy put in. "It's been five-to for the last hour! We got plenty of time! We've got nothing but time! We have time to kill!"

"You know what?" Dad asked. "I don't think we're going to make it!"

He was right. We seemed a bit too close to the top of the star on the tree. So some elves jumped off the vehicle and sky-dived to the ground. It was pretty cool. And they were so cute with their little parachutes!

"We're still not going to make it," Dad said to me.

He was right. We knocked that star right off that tree. Luckily, more elves jumped off and saved it before it could do any real damage. And then we landed on the sleigh.

"Thank goodness, we stopped moving!" I breathed a sigh of relief.

But that didn't last very long.

"All right, you stowaways," an elf said, sticking his head over the edge of the sack. "Party's over!"

"I was just following them!" Eddy insisted, trying not to get in trouble.

"We fell in here by mistake!" Dad pleaded.

"Forget about it!" another elf said. "We knew you were in there the whole time!"

They helped us out of the sack and…onto it…I guess.

"So that nobody gets hurt, here's how we're going to get you down…" a third elf started.

"Aw, this is simple," Eddy said, pushing his way to the front of the group. "Why, I know--"

"What do you know?" the elf asked him. "You're not supposed to be here in the first place! But since it's Christmas…I'm going to let you _slide_."

The elves kicked Eddy's heels, and down he slid. He landed on his feet beside the conductor.

"I've been looking for you," he told Eddy.

Next was Shannon. "Nice to see you again," the conductor said.

Next was Dad. "Cutting it kind of close, don't you think?"

Next came me. "We're just full of surprises, now, aren't we?"

I rolled my eyes and took my place next to my dad. I noticed that poor Billy had to give his present back. But I was sure that he'd get it soon enough.

Then there was a big roar from the crowd of elves. We all turned to the big doors on our left, and I knew what was coming:

It was time for Santa to make his appearance.


	20. 17: Shun the NonBelievers

_Hey! Um...I apologize if I don't get my facts straight. I'm not a very keeps-her-facts-straight kind of person, and I'm sorry if I can't...it's a weakpoint I have. But I will try my best. _

_Um...and sorry about the whole Miley Cyrus deal again. She's not dead, some idiot decided to spread a rumor around that she died in a car accident or something. So, don't worry. She's fine._

_P.S. The chapter title...got that from Charlie the Unicorn (which I do not own)._

_Enjoy!_

-

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: SHUN THE NON-BELIEVERS

They brought out the reindeer first. They were very, very jumpy, and I silently giggled to myself. Those reindeer could take out those elves if they weren't careful.

They lined up the reindeer in front of the sleigh, but didn't hook them up. Then I saw why. They brought out the harnesses and that kind of stuff next. And lining that stuff were silver bells.

The elves shook them, and everyone cheered. But…something was wrong. My brow furrowed as I cocked my head to hear the bells. Maybe my hearing wasn't as good as I thought it was. Or maybe everyone was being too loud.

But I slowly realized after a few seconds that it had nothing to do with the former or the latter, and had everything to do with…something else. And that something else was preventing me from hearing the bells.

"Aren't those bells the most beautiful sound?" Shannon asked us.

_Gee, I wouldn't know…I can't hear them! _

I looked at Dad, and he looked just as frustrated as I felt. He shook his head, indicating he couldn't hear it, either.

Well…at least I wasn't alone.

After the reindeer were hooked up to the sleigh, it got really, really quiet. And then we all started singing.

"_**OH…YOU BETTER WATCH OUT…YOU BETTER NOT CRY…YOU BETTER NOT POUT, I'M TELLING YOU WHY…SANTA CLAUS IS COMING…TO TOWN!"**_

The doors on our left opened, and Santa Claus came out.

Or…at least, from what I could tell, he did. All those annoying little elves started standing on each other's shoulders, blocking my line of vision. I was about to push them over, but that would have been very rude. So I stayed where I was.

Dad was having the same problem I was. He kept jumping up and down, trying to see Santa. But the elves were too tall for him.

"He's here!" Shannon squealed. "He's here!"

"Where?" Dad asked.

"I see him!" Billy pointed. "He's over there!"

I wasn't listening now. I had stopped trying. No matter how hard I tried at something, it always ended up in failure. Always, always, always.

The conductor was wrong. I still didn't believe in Christmas. I still couldn't hear those stupid bells or see stupid Santa.

I still hated Christmas with a burning passion.

"I can't see him," I said to myself. Then I said it louder. "I can't see him."

"I CAN'T SEE HIM!" my dad shouted, no one but me hearing him. "I CAN'T SEE HIM!!"

"Join the club," I said.

But then Dad's attention went to the sleigh. He followed something that fell into the air, and then on the ground right by his feet. He picked it up and shook it in his ear.

One of the bells. It had fallen off the sleigh.

Dad kept shaking it. I thought I heard the bell whisper _Doubt…doubt…doubt…_

"Okay…okay!" Dad said, almost crying. "I believe." He said it a bit firmer. "I believe." And now he whispered it. "I believe."

He shook the bell again. My face broke into a smile. Dad continued to shake the bell in his ear, a big smile on his face.

And I knew.

He finally heard it.

He believed.

"You hear it?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah. Do you?"

My face fell when I realized what my answer would be. I had been so busy being happy that my dad finally believed, that I hadn't figured out until now that I still couldn't hear anything.

I tried to say something, but nothing came out of my mouth. No sarcastic remark seemed good enough to fit the moment. And what was more, I couldn't seem to make one up at all. And as I realized this, the person I had been for all thirteen years of my life--the person that loved to hate Christmas--sort of…melted away. Like the Winter Warlock in "Santa Claus is Coming to Town".

The person who was revealed after that was a person I was surprised that I knew. She had been trying to work her way out of me the whole time I was on the train. She was trying to turn me into the person I should have been thirteen years ago. The person I was trying to be for the remainder of my life.

Okay...so maybe the conductor was right after all. Maybe I wasn't the same person.

But even if I had transformed, I still didn't hear that bell.

I shook my head. "No," I said.

My dad's smile disappeared just as fast as mine had. "You don't?"

I shook my head again. "No…but it's okay," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "I mean…you can hear it. And…that makes me happy that you can. I don't need to be able to hear Santa's sleigh bells or whatever. It's fine."

"It's not fine," Dad said. "We went through all that…and you still can't hear?"

"Seriously. It's no big deal." I fought to keep my tears back, knowing that if at least one escaped, more and more would follow it.

"Maybe not…but, still," Dad insisted. He looked at me and put the bell in my hand. "Come on. Just…close your eyes and open your mind. Please. Just…believe."

I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped against hope that this would work. I opened up mind and thought as hard as I could, _I believe…I believe…I…believe…_

I shook the bell, and the sweetest ring I've ever heard came out. Dad and I looked at it and then at each other.

It had finally worked.


	21. 18: The First Gift

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE FIRST GIFT

I honestly had so much trouble containing the joy that suddenly welled up within me.

I believed! I really believed! After thirteen years, I finally believed!

Dad turned around suddenly, and there, in front of us, was Santa Claus himself.

I was just like, _Whoa…_ I mean…it was SANTA. And if you meet Santa in person…well, you're kind of at a loss for words.

"What was that you said?" he asked Dad in his low voice. I noticed that besides his red suit and beard, he was…glowing.

"I…I believe," Dad stuttered. "I believe." He looked at the bell and back to Santa. "I believe that…this is yours." He handed over the bell.

Santa took it and looked it over. "Well…thank you."

He suddenly turned to me. Now I was like, _Snap, he's going to bust me for hating him for thirteen years._

"Hello, Lucy," he said.

"Um…hi…" I said, a bit nervous.

"I understand you've recently…changed."

I stared at him. How did he know?

He laughed. "I'm not accusing you. I just wanted to say congratulations. It takes a lot of courage and self-perseverance to undergo that kind of change, not to mention accept it. And it also takes a lot of courage to help those you care about most." He winked at me and smiled.

It took me a few seconds (Hey! I'm really slow on the uptake sometimes!), but then I realized that he knew. He knew about me and Dad. Whoa. I guess he DID know everything.

"Me! Me! Pick me, Santa!" Eddy called.

"Shh!" Shannon hissed. "What are you doing? Stop it!"

"Pick me! Pick me! I want the First Gift!"

I giggled. Unlike me…some things never changed.

"Young man," Santa said to him. "Patience. And a…smidgen of humility might also serve you well."

It took all my energy to not start laughing.

"Yes, sir," Eddy said.

Santa turned to Shannon. "And you, young lady. Lady of decision. Full of confidence and spirit…_Christmas _Spirit. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Santa then turned to Billy. "And Billy…it is Billy?"

Billy nodded.

"I see you made some new friends."

Billy looked at all of us. "Yes, sir, I sure have."

"You're a lucky lad. There's no greater gift than friendship." He turned to the crowd of elves. "And speaking of gifts…let's have this young fellow right here." He pointed at my dad.

Dad's eyes bugged out of his head as the crowd began to cheer. He turned to us, his mouth open. I laughed and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Take a picture, it'll last longer," I said jokingly.

He was carried up by some elves. He climbed into the sleigh tentatively and stood by Santa. I couldn't hear them, because they were so far away, but I had a feeling what my dad was asking for…

And, sure enough, about a minute later, Santa held up the bell that had fallen off the sleigh. "THE FIRST GIFT OF CHRISTMAS!" And then the crowd roared once again.

I felt some tears run down my face as my smile grew and grew. But I didn't stop them this time. Because instead of the tears being from frustration and pain…they were from the joy I had in my heart.

We heard the clock start to ring. It was midnight. _It's about time…_I thought.

Dad climbed down from the sleigh and made his way back towards us. Obviously, since he got the First Gift, Eddy wanted to talk to him and everything. But Dad ignored this. He smiled at all of us and then gave me a hug.

"Whoa…" I said, caught off-guard. "What's this for?"

He let go and smiled. "I believe…that I forgot to commend you for finally believing in Christmas."

I couldn't help but smile. "Well…I believe that I forgot to do the same for you, mister." I don't know what made me do it, but I kissed him on the cheek.

"Wow," Eddy said. "Are you two together or something?"

We turned to each other and recoiled. "Oh, ewwww!" the two of us said together. And then we all laughed.

It was finally time for Santa to leave. We watched him fly around the square a few times before disappearing in a cloud of Christmas magic. Some of the magic dust floated down, looking just like snowflakes.

"It's everything I dreamed it would be," Shannon said.

"Could all this be nothing but a dream?" Billy asked me.

I smiled and turned to Dad. I nodded, telling him he was the one to answer that. He gladly answered the question with the following:

"No."


	22. 19: More Tickets and a Horrible Surprise

CHAPTER NINETEEN: MORE TICKETS AND A HORRIBLE SURPRISE

Well, we left the elves to celebrate Christmas in their funky, upbeat way. I suppose the conductor wanted to get us back home, even if time was altered.

We waited patiently in line for the conductor to punch our tickets. Some elves brought the missing train car back, collapsing on the ground from exhaustion. Dad started laughing, but then Shannon looked at him, and he stopped and cleared his throat. I giggled.

"All right, you," the conductor said to Eddy. "Tickets, please." He punched more holes into the ticket and gave it to Eddy. Eddy held it up.

"LEAN," he said, unsatisfied. "Whatever that's supposed to mean!"

"LEAN is spelled with four letters," the conductor said, taking the ticket back and showing it to Eddy more carefully. "I believe I punched five."

Eddy snatched it back. "Hey, are you saying I don't know how to--Oh, I'm sorry. It says LEARN. My mistake." He climbed on the train as the conductor said, "Lesson _learned_."

Billy was next. When his was done, it said DEPEND ON. He flipped it over, and it changed to RELY ON. He flipped it over one more time, and it said COUNT ON. Billy was truly amazed.

"That is some special ticket," the conductor said.

Billy looked up at him. "It sure is."

"So…can you _count _on us to get you home safe and sound?"

Billy looked at us. "Absolutely. Me…and my friends."

I almost started crying again. Billy considered me his friend! He was so cute…

Shannon was after Billy. Her ticket read LEAD.

"It says LEAD," she said, a bit confused. "Like lead balloon."

"I believe it also is pronounced _lead_. As in leader, leadership…_lead _the way." He saluted her. "I'd follow you anywhere, Ma'am."

She smiled and climbed on the train.

And then it was my turn.

After my ticket was done being punched, it read PERSERVERE. I shrugged. "Alrighty, then…" I said.

"Don't you wanna know what it means?" the conductor asked.

"Does it mean I need to persevere and keep believing in the Christmas Spirit?"

The conductor was at a loss for words. I smiled. "I thought so."

I suddenly realized: Dad. He hadn't gotten his punched yet. I quickly made my way to my seat and opened the window.

"Ah, yes…" the conductor was saying. "The man with all the questions."

The conductor took his ticket and punched it behind his back. Dad was a bit nervous, not knowing why he did that. When he got it back, it said BELIEVE.

"It says BE--"

The conductor stopped him. "It's nothing I need to know."

I smiled and shook my head. Only he'd say that.

Dad got back on the train, and everyone crowded him. "Show us the bell!" everyone said excitedly.

And then I remembered something Dad told me and Susan one year. He told us that Santa had found the bell on the seat of his sleigh and gave it back to him as a wrapped present the next day. But Dad had thought it was gone.

And all because he put it in the pocket with the hole.

I sighed. Something had to go wrong, didn't it?

Sure enough, when Dad reached into his pocket, his fingers stuck out of the hole. "It's gone," he said sadly. "I lost it. I lost the bell from Santa's sleigh."

"Don't worry! We'll find it!" Billy said.

"Yeah! All of us!" Eddy piped up.

"Yeah, let's hurry up and find it right now!" Shannon said, getting up.

I noticed Dad didn't even make a move to get up. Why was he just sitting there? Didn't he care?

The train jerked forward, and we were too late.

"We're too late," Shannon said.

"Gee…" Eddy said. "That's really too bad. Really."

Shannon sat next to Dad. "I'm sorry," she said.

It made me feel horrible to see him like that. And even though I knew he'd get it back…I still couldn't stand to see him so sad.

And he stayed that way for the rest of the way home.


	23. 20: Saying Goodbye

_Hola! Yes, I have been pushing myself to get as much of this done as I can (without rushing...). I'm probably going to post more tonight...I've been on the computer since seven, working on this. So...yeah! I guess you can expect this to be finished tonight or tomorrow!_

_Until then...happy reading!_

CHAPTER TWENTY: SAYING GOODBYE

"Next stop: 11344 Edbrook," the conductor said into the intercom. "I repeat, next stop: 11344 Edbrook."

Billy got up and hugged me. "See ya around?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, you will."

"Where ya going?" Eddy asked him.

"Home."

"Oh. Merry Christmas."

Billy stopped at Dad and Shannon's seat. "Thanks for stopping the train for me," he said, shaking my dad's hand. Shannon hugged him.

"Have a wonderful Christmas, Billy," she said.

Billy got off the train and ran into the house.

"Look!" Shannon said. "Santa got to Billy's house already!"

Billy ran out to the front porch and held the familiar present up triumphantly. "Look! Santa came!" he called to us.

"Isn't that amazing?" Shannon asked rhetorically.

"It is amazing," I heard Dad say.

I was a bit tired by then, and I tried fighting the sleep I knew was coming on, but I had to close my eyes for just a minute and…

...

"Hey, you!" Eddy said, shaking me awake.

"What?" I asked him groggily. "I was sleeping!"

"Your boyfriend's getting off the train!"

"He's not my-WHAT?" I cried. Sure enough, Dad was going to his front door. I jumped up. I had to say goodbye to him!

I turned to Eddy and stuck out my hand. "No hard feelings?" I asked.

He shook it. "Nope. Merry Christmas."

"You, too."

I hugged Shannon. "You're pretty cool," I said.

"Thanks. You are, too. Merry Christmas."

I nodded and hurried off the train.

"Hold it!" the conductor said. "I don't believe this is your stop."

I sighed. "I…I need to do something first." I turned to look at dad. "He's…he's my dad."

The conductor suddenly nodded, and I guess he remembered me and why I was on the train. He stood aside, and I ran like the wind. "DAD!" I yelled. "DAD!"

He turned around and was ready to catch me as I held out my arms. When we let go, he asked, "Couldn't leave without saying goodbye, Lucy?"

"Yeah," I said, a bit out of breath. "I just wanted to say…I'm sorry about the whole…bell…thing…"

He nodded. "Thanks. But…I think it'll work out…maybe Santa will find it…or…something…"

"Well, I wanna say…thanks."

"For what?"

I hugged him again. "For making me believe."

"I didn't do that. You did."

"But you helped," I pointed out.

"That's true."

"ALL ABOARD!" the conductor yelled.

"I'd better go," I said. "I wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

"Yeah," Dad said. "You know how mad he gets…"

We both laughed, and then Dad and I hugged again.

"Merry Christmas, Dad," I said.

"Merry Christmas to you, too, kiddo," he said.

I pulled away. Only my dad knew to call me that. Well...my grown-up dad, at least. So...that meant...

"You know?"

He smiled and nodded. "I've known for a while now. When you called me 'Dad' the first time, I thought you were out of your mind. But…when we shook hands…I kind of…felt it. And then as time went by…I knew."

"Well, truthfully…I never though my dad would be my best friend."

"Same with me. I mean…with you…not…my dad."

I hugged him for the last time that night. "I know. I love you, Dad."

He hugged me back. "I love you, too, sweetie."

We waved to each other, and I ran back to the train. The conductor yelled "Merry Christmas!" to him, and then I saw Dad wave to someone on the roof. I knew instantly: the hobo.

I sat on the steps until we got to my house. When I looked back in the train, everyone was gone. Only me and the conductor remained. We stood in front of my house.

"I have a question," I said. "Why…why, whenever my dad told me to do something…I had to do it?"

"Fatherly instinct," the conductor explained. "When you called him 'Dad', his fatherly instinct kicked in. But since he technically wasn't a dad yet, it malfunctioned and made you do whatever he told you to."

"Then that explains the hobo!"

"What?"

I shook my head. "Nothing." I looked at him. "Thanks for making me get on the train."

"Like I've told your father: one thing about trains. It doesn't matter where you're going. What really matters is deciding to get on."

I nodded. "That's some good advice."

He took out his pocket watch. "We still have some time. Do you wanna see how it turns out?"

I frowned in confusion. "How what turns out?"

"Don't tell me you wouldn't like to see if your Dad gets his bell back."

My frown disappeared. I nodded.

"I'd like that."


	24. 21: A True Christmas Miracle

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: A TRUE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

We were suddenly standing in a familiar-looking living room. My dad and my aunt Sarah were on the floor, in the midst of wrapping paper and various Christmas presents. I realized I was standing in my grandparents' living room, and it was the next day. Christmas Day.

"Aw," I said the conductor. "They look so happy." A thought hit me. "They can't see or hear us, can they?"

"Nope," he said.

"Hmmm…" I kicked the nearby couch. Instead of my foot going through it, it bashed into it. I think I left a dent in that couch, because my foot hit it pretty hard. "Ow!" I said, hopping on one foot.

"I said they couldn't see or hear us. I didn't say we were able to pass through things."

I sighed. Then something caught my eye. I dove under the tree, and there, under a piece of wrapping paper, was a small box. It looked just like the one Billy had. Only smaller.

I picked it up and shook it. I faintly heard a bell inside. I smiled. "So this is how he got it back," I said. I put it next to Dad, hoping he'd notice. He didn't.

But, luckily, Aunt Sarah did.

"Hey, look, Chris! Here's another present!" she said, handing it to him. "It has your name on it!"

He looked at it, confused, and then opened it. I will, honestly, never forget his face when he pulled out the bell and shook it. He let Aunt Sarah shake it, and I could tell that she, too, heard the bell.

There was a note on the bottom of the package. From where I stood, I read what it said:

_**Found this on the seat of my sleigh. Better fix that hole in your pocket. - Mr. C.**_

My grandmother-my dad's mother-came into the room. I could see that she was still pregnant with my Aunt Cindy.

"Oh, what a beautiful bell," she said. "Who's it from?"

"Santa," Dad told her, letting her see it.

"Santa? Really?" she asked skeptically, shaking it. "Oh, that's too bad."

I looked at the conductor. "Wait. What's too bad?"

He nodded back to what was happening. "Be patient."

"What's this?" Grandpa asked, coming into the room. He shook the bell. "It's broken. Sorry about that, Sport."

"They can't hear it, can they?"

The conductor shook his head.

"Because…they don't believe."

The conductor nodded again.

Grandma and Grandpa left, and Aunt Sarah followed them. My dad sat a moment longer, looking at the bell. Then he looked around the room, stood up, and shook the bell. "Merry Christmas, Lucy," he said, putting the bell down and walking out.

...

By the time we were back outside my house, I was already crying. It hadn't stopped snowing, and it was still midnight, but I didn't really notice.

"He is so GOOD!" I said between sobs. "He's the best dad anyone ever had!"

"You'd better run along back inside," the conductor told me. "You wouldn't want Santa passing your house, now, would you?"

I wiped my face with my sleeve and headed in.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" the conductor shouted.

"YOU, TOO! THANKS AGAIN!" I called back.

The hobo appeared on the roof and waved at me. I waved back, and watched him dissolve in the snowflakes.

I got to my bed and fell asleep immediately.

...

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Susan shrieked, running through the house. "WAKE UP, LUCY! IT'S CHRISTMAS! MOMMY AND DADDY SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO COME WITH ME IF I WANNA OPEN MY PRESENTS!"

I woke up and looked out the window. Train tracks on the snow. Interesting…

I got out of bed and went downstairs to open my presents. Susan opened all of hers with one swipe, but I took longer (because I'm not skilled in the art of opening presents as she is).

"Hey! Look! Here's another one!" she said, and I had a sudden case of deja-vu.

"I think it's for you!" she said, handing it to me.

I took it. It was the exact same box I saw my dad with. I shook the box.

He didn't.

I opened the box.

Oh, yeah.

He did.

Inside was a silver bell, just like Dad's. There was a note on the bottom of the box:

_**Dear Lucy, like I've told your father, this bell is an excellent symbol of the Christmas Spirit. I figured, because you now believe, you needed one, too. Just remember: the true Spirit of Christmas lies in your heart. - Mr. C.**_

_**P.S. I do hope your father fixed that hole in his pocket.**_

I laughed and rang the bell.

My dad came in at that moment. "I had the most bizarre dream," he said. "I was back on the Polar Express with you, Lucy, and-"

He looked at the bell, and then at me. "You weren't-"

"Oh, yeah," I said. "I was."

He looked confused. "But how-"

"Let's just say that conductor isn't blind when he knows a certain gene's being passed down in the family."

My dad smiled. "I knew it was only a matter of time."

Then my mom came in. "Oh, Chris," she said. "Don't tell me you got another bell…"

"Santa gave it to her!" Susan said, handing Mom the bell. "And Lucy rode the Polar Express!"

My mom shook the bell. "Sweetie…it's broken," she said, giving it back to me. "I keep telling him not to buy cheap junk at the hardware store."

"It's not cheap junk," I said, hugging her. "It's real Christmas magic."

She looked at me, and then at my dad. "Who are you and what have you done with Lucy?"

"She's changed," Dad said simply.

"Well…whatever you did, Christopher…it worked." She hugged my dad. "And I'm proud of you."

I realized that maybe they wouldn't get a divorce after all.

And that was the best Christmas present I got that day.


	25. Epilogue: Just Believe

_I'd just like to thank everyone who read and reviewed this story! Your support has been amazing and y'all rock!_

_Happy Holidays!_

-

EPILOGUE: JUST BELIEVE

As years went by, I went along with my dad to visit his friends when he went ice fishing. They all remembered me from the strange dream they had where I accompanied them on the Polar Express, but my dad and I insisted that they had wild imaginations. After all, I wasn't even born yet…

I never again rode the Polar Express. Two years after my adventure, stayed up until 11:55, hoping it would come around. It never did. I figured, after two disappointments, that I only needed one ride, anyway. I already believed.

My mother never heard the bell. I tried many times to help her hear it, but she refused it. So I figured it was better to leave that kind of thing alone.

All my friends at school couldn't hear it, either. They were too busy showing each other their new iPod nanos and touch-screen phones they had gotten. But I didn't bother with them. It was too late to get them to believe.

Eventually, Susan was no longer able to hear it, either. She's slowly starting to get the sound back, but it will take a long time before she will hear the full effect again.

As for me and dad, well…we always hang our bells, side-by-side, every year. And we are able to hear them as clear as the first time they rang for us.

Susan and I are now grown-up with families of our own, and Mom and Dad are kinda old (but not so old that they're senile). Dad tells my kids, nieces and nephews the story of his ride on the Polar Express, me chipping in some information now and then when he forgets.

One of my sons, Jess, is a bit skeptical about the whole thing and doesn't believe the train actually exists. I just laugh and share a smile with Dad, because I know that he will soon experience the full power of that magical train.

All he has to do…is believe.


	26. Dedications and Acknowledgments

DEDICATIONS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Yes…it's that time again to thank the following people who helped me with this story:

-Everyone in _The Polar Express_. That movie rocks and they did an exceptionordinarily amazing job!

-Chris Van Alsburg, for writing the original story. That simple story has lead to one of the greatest Christmas classics of all time. That…and he's cool!

-My best friend, A.K. His hatred and loathing of the movie helped me with some of the emotions experienced by Lucy and Chris. This movie rocks, even if you don't think it does, Elphers! LOL!!! -Shinjite Florana, for more of her support and the idea of how the hobo could save Lucy (and the suggestion that I change Shannon's name). Your support means the world to me! And thank you so much for that idea! Sisters 4ever!!! ^-^

-My biological sister, LeiaOrgana57, for the first suggestion I change Shannon's name. Thank you!

-My little cousins, B., J., and E.--all siblings--for helping me with the characters. B. helped, again, with the mannerisms of Lucy and Chris, E. is like a spitting-image of Billy (both inside and out), and J., well, just for her enthusiasm. I love you all!!!

-Tom Hanks and Daryl Sabara, for making Chris (Hero Boy) into a legend. Without their performances, I wouldn't have been able to develop his relationship with Lucy as well. You both are just amazing!

-The Chronicles of Narnia. If I hadn't been watching that while typing the first chapters of the story, I would have never gotten the names Lucy and Susan. Thanks!

-Bridge to Terabithia, for the name Jess. I just watched that yesterday (FABULOUS MOVIE), and it was just sitting there…so I used that name. Thanks!

-Everyone who read and reviewed my story. Again, thank you for your suggestions!!!

-The loyal readers who stuck with me. It means the world to me that I know someone out there enjoys the stories I write!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Happy Holidays, everyone! And remember: "The bell still rings for those who truly believe."

~ElphieThroppDG28


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